Column

:''Pillar redirects here. For the musical group, see Pillar (band). For other uses of 'column', see Column (disambiguation)'' In architecture and structural engineering, a column is that part of a structure whose purpose is to transmit through physical compression the weight of the structure. Other compression members are often termed columns because of the similar stress conditions. Columns can be either compounded of parts or made as a single piece. Columns are frequently used to support Beam (structure)s or arches on which the upper parts of walls or ceilings rest. In the architecture of ancient Egypt as early as 2600 BC the architect Imhotep made use of stone columns whose surface was carved to reflect the organic form of bundled reeds; in later Egyptian architecture faceted cylinders were also common. The most sophisticated sort of columns in ancient world were that of Persian Empire especially the massive stone columns erected in Persepolis. They included double-bull structures as their capital. In The Hall of Hundred Columns at Persepolis, measuring 70 x 70 meters, which was built by the Achaemenid king Artaxerxes I (465-424) still many of the ancient Persian columns are standing. The impost (or pier) is the topmost member of a column. The bottom-most part of the arch, called the springer, rests on the impost. == The classical orders in Europe== :''Main article:'' classical order [[Image:Ionic base of a column.jpg|thumb|Ionic base, the torus enriched with interlaced guilloche, at the Erechtheum, Athens, 421 BC-407 BC]] The Roman author Vitruvius, relying on the writings (now lost) of Greek authors, tells us that the ancient Hellenic civilization believed that their Doric order developed from techniques for building in wood in which the earlier smoothed tree trunk was replaced by a stone cylinder. This myth of the transformation of wood into stone still causes controversy today - did the ancient Greeks invent columns this way for themselves, or did they imitate the stone construction of neighboring civilization? The Doric order, or Tuscan, order is the oldest and simplest of the classical order. It is composed of a vertical cylinder that is wider at the bottom. It generally has neither a base nor a Capital (architecture). It is often referred to as the masculine order because it is represented in the bottom level of the Colosseum, and was therefore considered to be able to hold more weight. The Ionic order column is considerably more complex than the Doric. It usually has a base and the shaft is often fluted (it has grooves carved up its length). On the top is a capital in the characteristic shape of a scroll (parchment), called a volute, at the four corners. The Corinthian order order is commonly thought to be named because its legendary origin was in the Greek city-state of Corinth, Greece, however the story of its origin is due to Callimachus, a Greek bronze worker drawing a design of acanthus leaves, growing on a small tomb for a new style of capital for the people of Corinth. In fact, the oldest known Corinthian capital was found in Bassae, dated at 427 BC. It is sometimes called the feminine order because it is on the top level of the Colosseum and holding up the least weight. It is similar to the Ionic order, but rather than a scroll, the Corinthian capital consists of rows of acanthus leaves. Many variations have been made on the Corinthian capital. For instance, the capitals of the Capitol building in Washington, DC is made up partially of wheat stalks. ==Notable columns== * Persepolis's columns * Trajan's Column * Monument to the Great Fire of London * Nelson's Column * Kolumna Zygmunta ==See also== * Forms in architecture * Colonnade * Persian column * Pilaster * Buckling Architectural elements Art history Buildings and structures

Column

It might be an idea to briefly mention the expression "5th Column". I did know at one time which war engendered this, but it's slipped my mind. -- Tarquin :I'm not so sure, but I remember something about Spain and a Madrid's siege: there should have been 4 columns outside and a 5th one inside the town in which some false soldiers had infiltrated. Was it Spanish civil war (36-39)? --user:Gianfranco I did a google, and what I've found says the same. There's also a bizarre tale of freemasons on the same page... -- user:Tarquin * http://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/DisplayAnswers.go;jsessionid=aaa_uhL-U14Aohyk-Z9sK?question_id=5311&category_id=12&index=15 *http://history.acusd.edu/gen/WW2Timeline/Prelude07.html

See other meanings of words starting from letter:

C

CA | CB | CD | CE | CF | CG | CH | CI | CJ | CK | CL | CM | CN | CO | CP | CR | CS | CT | CU | CW | CX | CY | CZ |

Words begining with Column:

Column
Column
Column-major_order
Columnarios
Columnar_basalt
Columnar_disposition
Columnar_phase
Columnist
Columnists
Columnists
Columns
Columns
Columns
Columns_(juggling)
Columns_(video_game)
Columns_of_Gediminas
Columns_of_Hercules
Column_(botany)
Column_(database)
Column_(disambiguation)
Column_8
Column_88
Column_88
Column_Access_Strobe
Column_address_select
Column_Chromatography
Column_chromatography
Column_inch
Column_of_Sigismund
Column_of_Sigmund
Column_space
Column_still
Column_vector